A Windsor woman accused of deliberately setting fire to a barn near Chatham will return to court in July for a pre-trial meeting.
Christine Rettig is facing two counts of arson for the July 1, 2020 fire at Charlotte’s Freedom Farm and another fire on the property in June 2021. She was initially hailed as a hero for running into the burning barn to rescue trapped animals at the animal sanctuary .
Rettig is also facing a charge of uttering threats after a threatening letter was reportedly found in the mailbox of Charlotte’s Freedom Farm on Oct. 2, 2020.
Her case came up in court on June 29 and her representative was granted a Crown resolution meeting for July 20.
The first count of arson involves the fire at Charlotte’s Freedom Farm on Brook Line, north of Chatham, that took the lives of a miniature pony, a dog and four cats and caused about $300,000 in damage. The second count of arson involves a suspicious fire on June 20, 2021, when a trailer on the farm property caught fire and caused about $15,000 in damage.
Rettig was initially praised by the farm’s owner following the July 2020 fire. She was celebrated for her quick decision to open the stall doors in the burning barn to free several animals inside. The animals that escaped included goats, sheep, dogs, two alpacas, a donkey and a six-month-old calf.